All-Time Indians: Nig Cuppy

Cuppy was one of the young stars on the early Cleveland Spiders team, starting in 1892 at the age of 22. He came on in a flurry, winning 28 of his 47 games pitched that year while keeping his lowest ERA of his career. Cuppy's rookie year was so impressive, he would never come close to reaching the stats gained that season in wins, innings or strike outs ever again. He was even good enough offensively that he was used in the field on multiple occasions, playing outfield and knocking in 24 RBI that season.

Nig continued to pitch successfully through 1896, throwing more than 300 innings and winning at least 24 games each season (except 1893). During this period, he was consistently the number two pitcher behind Cy Young, providing a considerable one-two punch for the 1890's Spiders.

In 1897 Jack Powell and Zeke Wilson moved up and bumped Cuppy out of the main rotation, but he still pitched over 100 innings in his last two seasons in Cleveland. Prior to the 1899 season, he was moved (along with the rest of the decent players on the team) to the St. Louis Perfectos as part of the destruction of the Cleveland Spiders. Cuppy played three seasons after leaving Cleveland, but was never able to reproduce those early results. In his career, he ranks third in almost every conceivable stat among pre-American League Cleveland pitchers behind Young and Jim McCormick, making him one of the greatest pitchers in pre-Indians history. 

After retiring after the 1901 season, Cuppy moved back to his home state of Indiana where he lived until his death in 1922.